Many homeowners rarely think about their garage doors until there is an issue that has them wondering if it’s time for a new garage door. One of the most common issues with garage doors is a bad motor because of all the tiny moving parts that can be worn down. At Pacific Experts Garage Doors, we often get asked by customers, “How do I know if my garage door motor is bad?” Easy! Here are 5 telltale signs that your garage door motor might need to be replaced.
You Start to Hear Excessive Noise
When you open your garage door, you shouldn’t be hearing a lot of excessive noise. Loud grinding noises can be a clear sign that your garage door motor is going bad. Maybe the motor itself is giving out or one of the many moving parts that make up the gears could be wearing out. Either way, if you hear loud noises when you open your garage door then it is time to have your garage door motor inspected and possibly replaced.
It Takes Longer to Open and Close Than Usual
One thing you may notice about an older garage door that is running on its last legs is that getting in and out of the garage takes longer than it used to. When your garage door takes too long to open and close, it could be because the motor is not as powerful as it used to be. It still gets the door open but it requires more energy to do so. This added torque needed to open the garage door will quickly wear on a garage door opener and eventually the garage door may fail to open altogether.
When the Garage Door Fails to Open
On that note, if your garage door fails to open, it may be time for a new garage door operator. If you try to open your garage from the inside garage door opener and it fails to open, you may want to inspect the torsion springs, lift cables, and rollers just to be sure that the issue isn’t something else. More likely than not though, the culprit will likely be a bad garage door motor.
When Your Garage Door Operator Is Unresponsive
A common issue that many homeowners experience with their garage doors is one that has to do with the responsiveness of the garage door opener. If you find yourself clicking on the garage door opener multiple times before you get a response from the garage door that opens the door, the issue may be directly related to the garage door openers motor.
Your Garage Door and Opener Are Outdated
If your garage door operator is older, there is a good chance that the whole garage door operator is outdated— motor and all. Garage door operators have a life span of about 10,000 open and close cycles. This could last about 10 years or so; plenty of time for your garage door to become outdated with how quickly technology advances. Modern garage door operators can be fully integrated into smart devices via wifi. If you are hearing noises or experiencing trouble with your garage door, then your garage door motor might have to go.